National Pharmacy Association (NPA)
The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) is the UK's leading trade body for community pharmacy. Set up in 1921, the NPA ensures that its community pharmacist members prosper commercially and professionally. Its work includes influencing decisions taken by government bodies and other agencies. It also supports members through the provision of high quality, cost-effective support services that increase their revenue opportunities or reduce their costs. The NPA also protects members’ interests by providing professional indemnity insurances and other insurances, and legal advice.
The Challenge
Return prescriptions account for between 80 and 90 per cent of a community pharmacist’s revenue, so ensuring they reach the local PCT promptly and safely each month is of paramount importance. However, with the significant expense of secure courier services, many pharmacists use standard post or untracked courier services for these vital deliveries to keep their costs down. This poses a significant risk to their business since they would not be refunded in full by the NHS if their monthly return prescriptions went missing.
The Solution
In 2010, the NPA turned to DX - the UK & Ireland’s leading independent logistics network provider - for help in finding a secure but affordable solution for its community pharmacist members to manage their return prescriptions.
DX, which has a wealth of experience in the pharmaceutical sector, recommended its DX Courier Tracked service, which offers secure, bar-coded, next day, delivery for prescription documentation, with collection during opening hours.
The Tracked service is now offered at preferential rates to all NPA members and is saving them up to 50 per cent on the average cost of using a secure courier service. It has proved very popular with 1,000 community pharmacists joining so far. The NPA deals with the administration involved in the service making it very quick and straightforward for their members to join.
The Recommendation
“We have been using the DX prescription collection service to save us time and money on an essential job each month. The service we have received has been very efficient and always runs on time.”
Rikesh Mehta, Pharmacist, Empire Healthcare Ltd
“Since return prescriptions account for such a large proportion of their business, our members really cannot afford to take risks when it comes to sending them to their local PCT. However, cost is a big issue and many of our members struggle to pay for secure services. “The deal that we have struck with DX has provided an excellent solution to this problem by giving our members all the benefits of a secure, tracked service at a very competitive price. In fact, we estimate that pharmacists could save as much as 50% by using DX.
“DX has been extremely prompt and efficient in setting up this service for us and we have been delighted with the feedback from our members. We hope to extend the service to our associate members, such as pharmacists in GP surgeries, in the future.”
Anne Smith, Head of Sales and Customer Services, National Pharmacy Association
To find out more about how DX can help improve service and reduce the cost of your pharmaceutical deliveries, please call us on 0844 826 1178
If you are a pharmacist and NPA Member, please call the NPA on 0844 736 4199 or
Email salesadmin@npa.co.uk